It turns out that British, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Polish, Arab, Greek, Italian, Dutch and Danish children all agree that a duck more or less quacks. But the Japanese ducks say ``da-da-da," and the South Korean says ``day-dub." The Pakistani ducks say ``tay-tay-tay." And the Croatians go ``back-back-back." The Hungarian quack is so close to a real duck's sound that it is almost impossible to transcribe. You can learn a lot from bzzzpeek.com, a Web site devoted to onomatopoeia.

A teen-ager convicted in the beating and choking death of another honor student was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Robert Chan, now 19, was convicted as ringleader of five boys in the New Year's Eve 1992 murder of Stuart Tay. The case became known as the ''honor roll murder'' because both youngsters were straight-A students planning to attend Ivy League colleges. ''The fact that he is so intelligent and yet so cold-blooded is frightening,'' the victim's mother, Linda Tay, told Superior Court Judge Kathleen O'Leary at the sentencing Monday.

LOS ANGELES -- Most television characters do not, blessedly, break into song. You wouldn't want warbling from Ray Barone or Andy Sipowicz. But big-time attorney Kevin Hill could well have a song on his lips. With Broadway actor Taye Diggs in the title role, the new UPN drama Kevin Hill will exploit its every asset. And many TV critics agree that Diggs has something to sing about and could become a major star. The show ranks among the season's strongest newcomers and marks a peak in UPN's mostly undistinguished history.

A 17-year-old computer whiz was beaten to death by fellow students with whom he had plotted to steal computer equipment, police said. Stuart Tay disappeared on New Year's Eve, and his body was found buried Monday behind a house. Five high school students ages 16 to 18 who knew Tay through a common interest in computers were being questioned, Lt. Timm Browne said Tuesday. Tay was planning a robbery or a burglary of an Anaheim site that contained computer parts, Browne said. But the other teen-agers discovered he was using a fictitious name in dealing with them, and they feared he would reveal their plans for a heist, Browne said.

A straight-A student has been convicted of murder for masterminding the ambush killing of another honors student suspected of tipping off police about a plot to rob a computer-parts dealer. Robert Chan, 19, once a candidate for his class valedictorian, could get life in prison because the charge specified that he lay in wait for the victim. The jury deliberated 2 1/2 hours before returning the verdict Tuesday. The victim, Stuart Tay, 17, was lured to a garage on New Year's Eve in 1992 with the promise of a gun purchase.

Tasty sound bites from today's movie menu:''Smokin'!'' The hero (Jim Carrey), registering his excitement in Mask.''A promise is a promise.'' A cop (Nicolas Cage), articulating his motto in It Could Happen to You.''The clouded mind sees nothing.'' A holy man, expressing his philosophy in The Shadow.''O-Tay!'' The kids, noting their approval, in The Little Rascals.

MIAMI -- Mickey Andrews speaks so slowly and with such deliberation, sometimes what he says isn't as important as what he doesn't. At the moment, Florida State's defensive coordinator says a mouthful without saying a darn thing. The coach was asked a simple fill-in-the blank question about the superior play of senior cornerback Tay Cody, who has pieced together the best season as a cover man at FSU since . . . since . . . since? Go ahead, pick a name, Coach. Despite a lengthy pause, Andrews drew a blank.

PRACTICE UPDATE: The Florida State Seminoles conducted 40 minutes of full-contact scrimmage work Wednesday in the hopes of keeping their fundamentals sharp for a Jan. 3 Orange Bowl date with Oklahoma. The scrimmage featured touchdown receptions by receivers Anquan Boldin and Javon Walker and a big gain by tight end Ryan Sprague. Said Coach Bobby Bowden: "The scrimmage uncovered some mistakes, and it allowed us to see what needs work and what doesn't.'' . . . Junior free safety Chris Hope said he likely will skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft if he believes he'll be selected in the first round.

TALLAHASSEE - Florida State defensive back Tay Cody was driving the vehicle of a Florida State teammate when he was arrested Tuesday for possession of marijuana, according to authorities.A spokesman with the Georgia State Police said Thursday that when Cody was arrested near Colquitt, Ga., he was driving a 1994 Jeep Cherokee registered to Tommy Polley, a starting linebacker for the Seminoles. Cody, a three-year starter who was charged with misdemeanor possession, was found in possession of four bags of marijuana totaling less than an ounce, authorities said.

TALLAHASSEE - After learning Wednesday that yet another of his starters was involved in an embarrassing brush with the law, Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden took a deep breath, let out a sigh and invented a new phrase.No question, criminal matters are piling up like a northern snowdrift around the nation's top-ranked football program.Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks was chosen NFC player of the week following his 13-tackle, two-interception performance Sunday in a 6-3 victory against the Bears.

Antuarn Williams, a tailback who was converted from fullback before this season, rushed for a career-high 164 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead Taylor High School to a 20-7 victory over Tavares before a wet crowd of about 900 Friday night at Bulldog Field.Williams scored on Taylor's opening drive on a 20-yard run and added another touchdown in the third quarter on a 1-yard carry. The Wildcats added another score with 17 seconds remaining in the first half when sophomore quarterback Carl Bentley rolled to his right and found Leon Butts open in the end zone on a 3-yard pass play.

It was Casper Eberhard who came up with the notion to put erasers on pencils. In 1765, this. In Germany. Curiously, though, the Germans didn't think much of the idea. They and other Europeans said it'd make kids careless. And they held this attitude for many generations. Pencils with erasers caught on in the United States long before any Europeans accepted them.Q. I know the Rosetta Stone is famous, but why is it famous?A. Its inscriptions showed scholars how to read Egyptian hieroglyphics.

LED BY solid pitching and timely hitting, Greenville took both games Thursday in a Southern League doubleheader against Orlando at Tinker Field.In the first game, Greenville starter John Rocker spread four hits over five innings and allowed just one run to earn his second win of the season.Greenville (25-21) opened the scoring with Marc Lewis' home run in the second inning - his 15th of the season - that scored David Toth. Lewis would pace the Braves offensively, going 1-for-3 with two RBIs.